April 24, 2009

It's inevitable that even the most loyal banana-eater will end up with one or two of the suckers that're just too mushy to eat. You know what I mean--they practically turn to liquid in your hand. When that happens, I usually turn to banana bread (as evidenced here and here...and here and here)(good grief). This time, however, I went for something far more daring...

...banana bars.
I know what you're thinking--"Someone get a straight jacket for that gal--she's out of control!" Although I may, in fact, need a straight jacket, it's probably not because I've departed from trusty ol' banana bread. :)

I first spotted these bars on Melanie's all-around fabulous and reliable blog My Kitchen Cafe. I remember thinking at the time that I'd never before seen such a moist and fluffy banana concoction, and I was right. The moistness of this cake is almost unreal. Granted, I used two heaping cups of banana, but I suspect that the tender, melt-in-your-mouth quality would be present regardless.

I sprinkled some leftover granola across the unbaked bars--I thought it would give a nice contrasting texture (and would get rid of said leftover granola). I also added some ginger to the batter, which, in retrospect, was a regrettable decision. Why, you ask? The plain and simple truth is that ginger can't hold a candle to my beloved cinnamon.

The last change I made was to top the bars with an easy glaze (powdered sugar, water, vanilla, and a bit more ginger), and it was...pretty nice. The moral of this story is that if I was in love with ginger, these bars would be perfection. Meh, I guess that just gives me a reason to make them again.

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 10x15-inch jellyroll pan or one 9x13-inch pan and an additional 8x8-inch pan. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then beat in the sour cream, vanilla, and mashed bananas. Combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, and salt in a medium bowl; stir into the batter. Spread evenly into the prepared pan(s) and sprinkle granola across the top of the batter. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

These look amazing!! I am a total banana fan- I usually have 3 a day. That definitely leaves a few mushy bananas around once in a while! I'm glad to have something to try other than my too-dry banana bread recipe. Thanks for posting!

I love your blog, by the way! I have a line of things I want to try from here!

These look like a nice change from banana bread, or banana muffins, which in my case often become mini-banana muffins, 'cuz of the kids, they love the mini-muffins! I could cut these bars extra small and I'd be good to go! They look delicious, I really hope my bananas get dark pretty soon. :)

Way to branch out beyond banana bread!! These bars look great. I agree: as much as I love ginger, it doesn't compare to the amazingness of cinnamon :) However, that ginger glaze does sound pretty amazing! Now I know what to do next time I have overripe bananas!

These look too good! I've never been a HUGE fan of banana bread, though I like it well enough. These, however, look like something to write home about! Now that I'm in my new kitchen, I actually have a bit of room in my freezer for my ice cream cannister so am looking forward to getting back to that. Also... I let my bananas get ripe on purpose to freeze for protein shakes! They almost never have a chance to get to banana bread state, LOL!

That is an incredible title. And what a good idea! These look fabulous! I found myself throwing a few bananas into a scone recipe this morning b/c i didn't know what else to do. if that was a good idea is yet to be determined.

Haha love the recipe title! I don't usually have extra bananas but I've been trying to leave some bananas around and let them get black before baking with them (since so many people say this is the best). Not so black that they're oozing though haha. Anyway I think I actually prefer them only slightly overripe for baking.

I think this is fate. I was just noticing all the bananas on my counter, and I'm going out of town for the weekend. I know they'll be too ripe for my liking when I get back - and this will come to the rescue!